Health care workers learn how to adjust to different cultures, races
A conference in Dauphin County aims to teach health care professionals how to better communicate with all people. Leaders hope thatby making improvement, health outcomes will improve too.
Attendees at the Pennsylvania Health Equity conference, organized by the state Health Department, learned about how to convey a message in a way that patients can understand.
“The more that we understand the differences in diverse populations, the further we can reduce risk factors associated with adverse health outcomes,” says Dr. Carrie Delone, Pennsylvania’s Physician General.
The conference is focused on the impact of socioeconomic issues, like race, ethnicity, age, disabilities, and incarceration.
Delone says providers may wrongly assume their advice is getting absorbed by patients.
“When an individual goes to their physician, do they really understand the instructions or the importance of what they’re being told and how what they do to improve their health can have long-term benefits for them?”
Presenters at the conference also discussed how cultural differences can affect attitudes towards health care and preventative measures that can help keep people out of the doctor’s office or emergency room, andtreatment for LGBT individuals.
Delone says there’s plenty of information for health care professionals to learn on the topic.
